The Day of the Shoot

The day of the shoot went fairly smoothly and we got done everything that we needed, so I don't feel that at the moment we will need to do any reshoots. The weather was wet, but not raining enough to pick up on the camera, instead it gave the square a wet, miserable look, which turned out quite well, in evoking a similar emotion. The problem with this was that we had to keep wiping the lens of the camera, and a few shots had a droplet of water in them. Seeming as the lens was quite small, one droplet of water is quite big, but fortunately the shots with the water on them were not essential to the storyline.

We did encounter a rather major problem whilst filming, which was that we couldn't gain access to the lift, as there was a cleaner refusing to let people in, meaning we had to find an alternative location for the fight sequence, without going too far. We decided on filming it on the steps around the side of the square, as there weren't that many people there...or so we thought. Whilst filming it quite a lot of people did walk past, so we had to keep stopping and starting, but we got it done in the end. This change of location also meant that we had to re-choreograph the fight sequence, without all the features of the lift, and including the geography of the steps. To try and not waste too much time, we split into two units, one of us filming Richard and James's shots in the square and Lee and I choreographing and practising the fight sequence.

Back in the main square we had an interesting time filming Richard fall into the fountain. We remembered all the equipment we needed for the day, except a towel, so afterwards Richard was left to drip dry. Fortunately it was only his face and hands that went into the fountain, so that we didn't make too much disturbance. A few passers-by laughed at him. We filmed the scene three times, but only one really showed it to it's best potential, and after that Richard refused to fall in any more.

It was very hard to film the running scenes, as you have to run at the same speed as the actor, whilst keeping a camera steady, so we filmed the run many times from multiple angles. To get the moving shots we just ran at the same pace and didn't bother trying to keep the camera steady, reasoning that with the number of shot that we took, we'd be able to get a few decent ones. A cool shot that we managed to get was from up Nelson's Column. I climbed up a few layers and filmed Lee running from there, which gave it a very high budget look.
We also did some of the filming in horseguards parade, as planned, and this turned out better than expected, as we were worried that it might look strange due to the different times of day that we filmed each side of the scene. We were also worried that we might be stopped filming there, as there was a guard patrolling up and down the corridor when we scouted it.
Altogether it was a very successful day, and we got everything done that we needed to and to good quality as well. As much as I would have liked to have filmed the fight scene in the lift, filming it on the steps by the side of the square worked quite well. We also didn't get stopped by anyone, despite quite high security who didn't seem to notice a fight, someone falling in a fountain, and someone sprinting desparately across the square.

Map

I have printed off a map from google maps so that we know exactly where we're going.
1. Trafalgar Square
2. Davidson's exit from Trafalgar Square
3. Horse Guards Parade

Production Pack

In order for the day to go smoothly, I have created a 'Production Pack', which includes everything that we need, such as checklists, schedules, maps, the script and more! Of course, it looks much better in the document and the hard copy as it was split up into the relevant pages, but here is what's roughly in it :

DAY  1  PRODUCTION PACK

SINS OF THE MARTYR

Ø  Schedule – 2

Ø  Script - 3

Ø  Props List - 8

Ø  Map - 9

Ø  Storyboards - 10

SCHEDULE

08:15 – Meet at Enigma Studios and rehearse

09:15 – Depart for Ashtead station

09:29 – Take train from Ashtead to London Waterloo

10:10 – Arrive at London Waterloo

10:20 – Depart Waterloo station for Charing Cross

10:25 – Arrive at Charing Cross

10:30 – Shoot Trafalgar Square sequence

14:00 – Depart for Horse Guards Parade

14:15 – Shoot Horse Guards Parade sequences

SCRIPT

SCENE 1 – LONDON - INT. CHARING CROSS UNDERGROUND STATION

Darkness. Train lights quickly illuminate the tunnel as the train emerges. JIM gets out of the train, looks around then heads for the stairs. DAVIDSON steps into view.

DAVIDSON

Just got off the train right now. We’ve arrived at Charing Cross.

He watches as JIM crosses the walkway above, and trails him through the underground station.

DAVIDSON (CON’T.)

I’m in pursuit.

CAPRIVI is elsewhere, his voice coming from DAVIDSON’s earpiece.

CAPRIVI

Good. Keep following him.

DAVIDSON follows JIM through the tunnels beneath Trafalgar Square and makes his way up the stairs of the subway exit.

SCENE 2 - EXT. TRAFALGAR SQUARE

 JIM is out of sight.

DAVIDSON

I’ve lost him. He’s somewhere in the Square. Yung, do you have visual?

YUNG is watching from the balcony in front of the National Gallery, coffee in hand.

YUNG

Yeah. (Yawns) He’s just gone round the Column.

DAVIDSON walks along the road at the edge of the Square.

DAVIDSON

Yes, I can see him.

YUNG

He’s moving towards my position. Looks like he’s carrying a case.

DAVIDSON

A case? You sure? He didn’t have that on the train.

JIM sets the case down on the edge of the fountain. He begins to open it.

YUNG

I can get in for a closer look.

DAVIDSON

We have to make sure it’s clear. Palmer?

Davidson’s voice emerges from a fallen earpiece. A dead man is dragged away from the edge of the roof.

DAVIDSON (CON’T.)

Palmer? Caprivi, do we know if there’s a meeting about to place?

CAPRIVI is walking through a darkened walkway, consuming a meaty burger. A Slender-Man like figure follows in the shadows, albeit much shorter and browner.

CAPRIVI

I don’t know. We can’t risk it. Tell Yung to fall back.

YUNG

We have to go NOW.

DAVIDSON

Caprivi’s orders are to stand down! Yung?

YUNG

FUCK IT!

Yung rips the earpiece from his ear and casts it down into the Costa abyss.

DAVIDSON

Sir, he’s gone dark.

CAPRIVI

You have to stop him.

DAVIDSON hangs up. As YUNG makes his way from the balcony and down the stairs DAVIDSON starts moving. YUNG reaches the fountain as DAVIDSON makes a mighty leap over the wall into the Square. ZUBASU appears behind an agitated CAPRIVI. YUNG and JIM briefly exchange glances as DAVIDSON stops in the middle of the Square. Pause. Everything is at a standstill. Bang. YUNG is dead. His glasses float away.

DAVIDSON

Yung is down. I repeat Yung is down.

Silence. No response.

JIM shuts the case. DAVIDSON starts moving towards JIM, but two men approach from across the Square and lead JIM and the case away. One of them starts to follow DAVIDSON.

DAVIDSON (CON’T.)

Hello? Hello? … God damn it.

DAVIDSON crosses the Square and enters the toilets. The man follows him in, and, as the lift elevates, he and DAVIDSON engage in brutal combat, culminating rather bloodily. DAVIDSON exits the lift at the top, leaving the dead body behind him. He wipes the blood from his knuckles and tosses the handkerchief to the floor. He walks over to the balcony and looks down at YUNG’s body, as a local youth prods it.

RANDOM LOCAL YOUTH

You alright, mate?

A woman (or perhaps an effeminate man) screams at the sight of the deceased thug in the elevator, so DAVIDSON quickly makes his escape into a nearby alley. 

PROPS & COSTUMES LIST

Ø Ear Pieces

Ø Briefcase

Ø Cup of Coffee

Ø Phone x2

Ø Handkerchief

Ø Caps x2

Ø Caprivi hat

Ø Suit

Ø Burger

MAP

Shooting Schedule

It is important to schedule the day of the shoot, to try and keep things going at the right pace and to make sure that everything is fitted into the day. We have to shoot the whole thing in one day otherwise we'd have to wait ages for another filming date, the Christmas Tree wont be up in Trafalgar Square, and the weather may change. We also have to film it all before around 3:30 so that we don't lose too much light. Unfortunately we can only really get to London at about 10:10 as train tickets are very expensive on weekdays and we can't ask our cast and crew to pay £18 a ticket! We have arranged to meet round my house (also known as Enigma Studios) which is very close to the station, so that we can rehearse things before leaving, making the day go faster. So this schedule fits around all the little issues and leaves some extra time because we will inevitably overrun and finish about an hour after our schedule. At least we know we should be hurrying up if we're behind the schedule.

08:15 – Meet at Enigma Studios and rehearse

09:15 – Depart for Ashtead station

09:29 – Take train from Ashtead to London Waterloo

10:10 – Arrive at London Waterloo

10:20 – Depart Waterloo station for Charing Cross

10:25 – Arrive at Charing Cross

10:30 – Shoot Trafalgar Square sequence

14:00 – Depart for Horse Guards Parade

14:15 – Shoot Horse Guards Parade sequences

Shooting Update

The date for our shoot has been rapidly updated to the 27th of December, as this day has become available to all our cast and crew members. This is much sooner than we had anticipated, but we have decided to take the opportunity as that will leave more time for post production and re-shoots. We also have to bear in mind that our composer could take a while to compose a score that is suitable for our film, and his schedule has to be taken into account.
There is a fairly sizeable problem with filming on the 27th, and that is that we will only be able to go into London after 9:30, which is an hour and a half later then the train we had anticipated taking. This is because the trains before 9:30 cost over £18 and this is a lot of money and a big ask for our cast and crew members. Unfortunately this pushes our schedule back considerably, and means that we'll have to film a bit quicker then before. To slightly make up this time the cast are coming round my house at 8:15 for rehearsals, and this means that we won't have to fully choreograph on location. We will also go over lines and change the lines according to what sounds better, and what the actors are more comfortable with saying. The script will change according to the actors.
We were originally going to shoot the underground scenes at the start of the day, but now our schedule has changed so that we will film them after the Trafalgar Square sequence, seeming as we don't need the light for the underground sequences, but we do for the scenes in Trafalgar Square.
Obviously we have a fair few last minute adjustments to make, such as schedules and production packs, and these will come soon.

Storyboard Animatic

We have created a storyboard animatic in order to work out exactly what we need to film on the day. This will greatly increase the efficiency of our production, as well as giving us an idea of what the final product will look like. 

Final Shooting Script

SINS OF THE MARTYR

SCREENPLAY BY

Philip Smith & Nicholas Ashurst

BASED ON A CHARACTER CREATED BY

Nicholas Ashurst & Lee Davidson

SCENE 1 – LONDON - INT. CHARING CROSS UNDERGROUND STATION

Darkness. Train lights quickly illuminate the tunnel as the train emerges. JIM gets out of the train, looks around then heads for the stairs. DAVIDSON steps into view.

DAVIDSON

Just got off the train right now. We’ve arrived at Charing Cross.

He watches as JIM crosses the walkway above, and trails him through the underground station.

DAVIDSON (CON’T.)

I’m in pursuit.

CAPRIVI is elsewhere, his voice coming from DAVIDSON’s earpiece.

CAPRIVI (V.O

Good. Keep following him.

DAVIDSON follows JIM through the tunnels beneath Trafalgar Square and makes his way up the stairs of the subway exit.

SCENE 2 - EXT. TRAFALGAR SQUARE

JIM is out of sight.

DAVIDSON

I’ve lost him. He’s somewhere in the Square. Yung, do you have visual?

YUNG is watching from the balcony in front of the National Gallery, coffee in hand.

YUNG

Yeah. (Yawns) He’s just gone round the Column.

DAVIDSON walks along the road at the edge of the Square.

DAVIDSON

Yes, I can see him.

YUNG

He’s moving towards my position. Looks like he’s carrying a case.

DAVIDSON

A case? You sure? He didn’t have that on the train.

JIM sets the case down on the edge of the fountain. He begins to open it.

YUNG

I can get in for a closer look.

DAVIDSON

We have to make sure it’s clear. Palmer?

Davidson’s voice emerges from a fallen earpiece. A dead man is dragged away from the edge of the roof.

DAVIDSON (CON’T.)

Palmer? Caprivi, do we know if there’s a meeting about to place?

CAPRIVI is walking through a darkened walkway, consuming a meaty burger. A Slender-Man like figure follows in the shadows, albeit much shorter and browner.

CAPRIVI

I don’t know. We can’t risk it. Tell Yung to fall back.

YUNG

We have to go NOW.

DAVIDSON

Caprivi’s orders are to stand down! Yung?

YUNG

FUCK IT!

Yung rips the earpiece from his ear and casts it down into the Costa abyss.

DAVIDSON

Sir, he’s gone dark.

CAPRIVI

You have to stop him.

DAVIDSON hangs up. As YUNG makes his way from the balcony and down the stairs DAVIDSON starts moving. YUNG reaches the fountain as DAVIDSON makes a mighty leap over the wall into the Square. ZUBASU appears behind an agitated CAPRIVI. YUNG and JIM briefly exchange glances as DAVIDSON stops in the middle of the Square. Pause. Everything is at a standstill. Bang. YUNG is dead. His glasses float away.

DAVIDSON

Yung is down. I repeat Yung is down.

Silence. No response.

JIM shuts the case. DAVIDSON starts moving towards JIM, but two men approach from across the Square and lead JIM and the case away. One of them starts to follow DAVIDSON.

DAVIDSON (CON’T.)

Hello? Hello? … God damn it.

DAVIDSON crosses the Square and enters the toilets. The man follows him in, and, as the lift elevates, he and DAVIDSON engage in brutal combat, culminating rather bloodily. DAVIDSON exits the lift at the top, leaving the dead body behind him. He wipes the blood from his knuckles and tosses the handkerchief to the floor. He walks over to the balcony and looks down at YUNG’s body, as a local youth prods it.

RANDOM LOCAL FELON

You alright, mate?

A woman (or perhaps an effeminate man) screams at the sight of the deceased thug in the elevator, so DAVIDSON quickly makes his escape into a nearby alley.

Location Problems

Being Christmas time that we are aiming to film, we have hit two big obstacles. The first of these is that there is a Christmas tree in the middle of Trafalgar Square, and this could be a problem in the choreography of the scene. We visited it again last night to check on this, and it didn't seem like it would be too much of an issue, but when I passed through last week it seemed to be covered in fencing and obstruction.
The other major issue that we are facing is that over the Christmas holidays a lot of our actors are on holiday or are unavailible. We are considering delaying the production of the film until after the christmas holidays as this would take out both problems at the same time, but with this problem solved, another problem arises. All our cast have important exams in January and they will be wanting to revise in the first half of January. This puts our production even further behind and it appears that filming will commence at the end of January, which means that post-production will be very hurried. This is a risk we are willing to take for the artistry which our actors offer, and so it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Costume Design - Zubasu

 

We have decided to dress the character Zubasu in a slim suit, to make him look more creepy and more of a malevolent phantom stalker. The suit almost gives him a 'slender man' sort of look, as he is lurking at the back of the frame in most shots, and just waiting to strike. Although the direct pop culture slender man reference may not be noticed, it will certainly be felt. The suit also makes Zubasu more of a clean assassin, the sort of assassin the gets the job done without problems. The emphasis on the cleanliness of the suit is important, as it does not have any blood on it, showing just how clean the assassins kills are. The character is an agent for the L.E.E, and the suit makes him seem more official, yet at the same time corrupt, through the obvious gangster movie reference. Overall the character will look very neat and clean, and no blood or gore will ever be seen on him, giving him a very creepy, ghostly presence in the scene.

Costume Design - Jim

 

For Jim's character we have chosen a more smart, business-like jacket, which makes him seem more professional and perhaps in a more honest job. Our actor for the character has quite an ectomorphic anatmony and this jacket brings out his slender frame.This body form is important for the character as it shows that he is not a field operative, but would rather work behind a desk, making the mission seem easy and quite hard to go wrong, exaggerating the impact when it does go wrong. The costume also suits his character as he cares about his appearance a lot, which conforms to the conventions of a good character (but in this case not neccessarily the protagonist). The jacket doesn't boast the characters strength or muscle, but his delicate, slender form. The actor also has a thin face, culminating in a pointy chin, so isn't the sort of face that would go with a rough field agent.  

Costume Design - Yung

 

Yung's costume is completely different from Caprivi's and Davidson's as he has not have as much experience in the field and this should be reflected in his costume. His jacket is more childish and less inconspicuous, due to his lack of experience and knowing what he should be wearing. In this way he does not quite adhere to the conventions of a spy movie, but instead looks naive and out of place, which is exactly Yung's character. Yung's actions in the scene are explained by the fact that he has never been accepted in society, and so his 'loser' personality is reflected in his less-than-conventional fashion taste. His character will be clearly shown through his costume, and it makes it almost impossible to miss that he will be the weak link in the organisation, and it is taken for granted that he will be the person to mess up the mission.

Costume Design - Caprivi

 

 

This is our idea of a costume for Caprivi, the boss of the kidnapping organisation. The whole costume looks good here, not just the jacket. I like the look of the wooly hat on his head, which makes him loook slightly more laid back then he should be on the job. The jacket works well as it sort of mirrors Davidson's jacket in its style, and poses them as similar types of people in completely different lines of work. The combination of the hat and the jacket almost parodies Davidson's costume design, as Davidson's costume is more serious, and Caprivi's is more laid back. The chino trousers are good as they seem much to smart to be used on a kidnapping job, and this highlights the fact that the job wasn't meant to go ahead that day.

Costume Design - Davidson

 

These are some of the sort of costumes that we plan on using for the character of Agent Davidson. We like the look of these costumes as they are stylish but not too showy. It's not the undertops that we are looking at, but the jackets, as the undertops look a bit too much on the fashion side, which isn't really suitable for Davidson's character. The first jacket looks more covert, and the sort of thing that an agent might wear to avoid being seen, but as an audience it could be seen as suspicious. Of course, in real life it wouldn't seem as suspicious, but in movies the audience has a hieghtened sense of danger. The second jacket is more natural, and the sort of jacket that Davidson would wear just on an average day, which is also a feel we want to get at, as the mission isn't meant to be as serious as it gets. Perhaps a mixture of these two looks would be relevant, so we'll see what we can find.

 

The Camera - Panasonic SD90

28mm Wide angle Shooting
40x Intelligent Zoom
26x Optical Zoom
1080p Full HD
5.0 Megapixels
Optional 3D conversion
SD Card Memory
Capable of taking stills
Microphone slot
Image Stabilisation



This is the camera that we are using to film our opening two minutes with. It's my personal camera that I use all the time and it has never failed me, so I thought that this would work well for our opening two minutes. It films in full HD, which should make it look pretty decent, and this was the main appeal for this camera. It also has a microphone slot, so we don't have to rely on the internal microphone. The zoom is also good, and so we can get some shots from far away and it would still be very good quality.

Soundtrack Research - Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy

Seeming as our composer is very good at composing Classical Style music, we gave him a few ideas of what we were looking for and this was one of them. We don't neccessarily want it to sound like this, but we like the way that it builds up. From the single note at the start, the piece starts building up and adding more layers, adding suspence and slowly building up the tension. I do like this music, but it wouldn't be very good for our film in particular, as it isn't quite fast enough. This music focuses more on suspence then action, and we want to add a bit mroe action to ours, as it isn't entirely suspenceful.
Our composer is also a big fan of this piece of music, and he in fact went to see the film because of the music in this trailer! This helped him to grasp what we wanted and helped him to connect with our ideas a lot more, as he connects with this music. I think a mixture of the build up of this, the action packed soundtrack of Skyfall and the intensity of 24 shoudl come together as a very strong soundtrack!

Soundtrack Research - 24

24 - Coliseum Finale

This video has been removed due to copyright.
Despite being in roughly the same genre as Skyfall, the soundtrack for the hit American TV series '24', has a very different style to it. I actually used this track in the Preliminary Task, and I found it worked exceedingly well with the intensity of the action sequences. It is a very intense piece. Intense, yet not overpowering, it underscores the TV series very nicely, and forces the audience to focus on the visuals, but just with the soundtrack pushing it along. I do like this feel, but I think for our film we could do with something a bit more 'cinematic' and epic. This soundtrack was aimed at television, so it isn't quite the same, and we are looking for something more powerful for our film. I think that the soundtrack should meet half way between the Skyfall soundtrack and this soundtrack as they both have their different benefits. Skyfall is epic and cinematic, whilst 24 is intense and pushes the action along. I don't think the soundtrack should be too obtrusive, but should compliment the visuals, otherwise it becomes a music video instead of a feature film. It should be able to work well without any music at all, but the music just adds a new dimension.

Soundtrack Research - Skyfall

For our film we are planning to get hold of a composer for our soundtrack, as this way we can have maximum control over the music. The composer will be able to adjust the music to suit the scene, make in more intense at the right moments, and repeat character motifs. All helpful tools in making the film look as professional and as neat as possible. Despite this, I will look at a few soundtracks of similar films so that our composer can have some sort of an idea of what it should sound like, and so that we can get the feel for our film very early on.

Skyfall - The Bloody Shot

I like the sound and feel of this music as it is very intense and cinematic. The tension that it builds over the course of the track is what I really like. It edges towards minor crescendos and then drops back again, and you can feel that something big is going on in the film. It is obviously tailored to the visuals, and so the soundtrack does not become a piece on it's own, which is perfect. We do not want music that overpowers and outshines the visuals, but we want music that is in the background and supports the action. On the other hand, music is a powerful tool in increasing the intensity of a scene, and we can't miss out on this trick. Another feature of this track that I really like is when the James Bond motif obviously shines through at 2:09, making it obvious that James Bond is on screen and he is about to do something that only James Bond would do. I want our soundtrack to have its own motifs for the various characters, and the score should be build upon this. What is also really nice about this soundtrack is the variety of instruments and the full orchestra, but unfortunately we would not be able to manage this. I know a lot of people who play various instruments, but it wouldn't be enough to compare with a score like this.

Casting - Zubasu

Zubin Parekh

Zubin knows his artform, and he knows it's drama. We are so lucky to have Zubin acting in our film, however small his role might be. Zubasu is an assassin working for the L.E.E, he is an expert at shadowing his victims and even better at dispatching them. In the opening we see just how dangerous he is, by killing Caprivi in a public place without anyone realising. We chose Zubin for this part as he is better at the physical side of drama then the vocal part. He was the most physically able of all the actors who came to play the part, and seeming as the assassin needs to be just that, he was perfect. I have worked with him on previous occasions, in films such as 'The Piano' and 'Global Warming: World at Risk', and on both occasions he most certainly delivered. I have known him for a very long time and we have a very strong working relationship. He doesn't understand the technicalities of film making very well, so he leaves that up to us and just does as he is asked to do. He focuses on what he does best. Zubin in the final piece of the jigsaw, the one who will really complete the cast to make a very well rounded cast indeed! Zubin will do great things in this production.

Casting - Jim

James Richardson

It seems a reoccuring theme that the names of the characters match with the names of the actors, and here's another example! James is more than just an actor, he is an artist. He has been involved in many different productions, from Lord Montague in 'Romeo and Juliet' to a teenage boy in 'The Piano'. I worked with him on 'The Piano', and I found his acting simply moving. He worked so hard to bring out the character of a young boy who just wants to learn to play the piano, and the raw emotion that came out of it was really quite startling. James is a gifted musician, and we are considering hiring him for our composer, as we have done on previous occasions. It would be good to bring in a composer who has such a personal connection to the story. James is not only the perfect actor, but he is also the perfect actor to play Jim, not only through his incredible acting, but also through his anatomy. His muscles may not be bursting, but his prominent chin more then makes up for it. We felt that his chin really helped with the character of Jim, as it is exactly as we imagined him to be. Jim's character is that of a computer technician, and they are typically not knotted with muscle, but are talented in other ways. This is James in a nutshell. By casting James in this role, there is a promise of this film being a great success

Casting - Yung

Richard Young

It would seem that we have had a few character names that correlate with the names of the actor and Richard is no exception! Richard, as a person, is the mountaineering type, and he has had experience climbing several mountains in the Snowdonia region of Wales. This was how I got to know Richard, amongst a great snowstorm at the top of a mountain, I knew that he was the man we were looking for to play Yung. To test this theory I worked with him on the Preliminary Task, and once that was over I knew we had our man. Yung's character is impatient, quick to anger, and eager to please, and Richard could really portray this role to the highest quality. He is slightly bigger than the other actors, and we plan to use this to develop his character in the two minutes. I have seen Richard act a major part in the play 'A Beautiful Thing' in which he played a teenage boy coming to terms with the fact that he was a homosexual. This acting was stunning, and I could see that he was indeed, born to be a star. His role in 'Sins of the Martyr' will certainly be remembered for a very long time.